1. Field of Technology
The present invention relates to a data reading apparatus for reading data from at least a first and second scanned medium conveyed over a plurality of transportation paths, and relates more particularly to a data reading apparatus capable of handling scanned media that bend easily, such as paper, and scanned media that do not bend easily, such as drivers licenses and credit cards.
2. Description of Related Art
Payment systems using checks are common particularly in Europe and North America. Payments and transfers of many kinds are accomplished by accepting checks, and these checks are typically brought to a bank for depositing the funds or cashing the check.
Bank tellers in every bank branch must therefore often process numerous checks in a short time. The main tasks performed at the teller window involve a bank clerk verifying the check, confirming the date, and verifying the signature, and then depositing the funds or cashing the check. The received check is also endorsed and a receipt is issued as needed.
To verify the person presenting the check, identification such as a drivers license or ID card must be presented, and in some cases it may be necessary to copy the drivers license or ID card on a photocopier and file the copy.
Some banks have started trying to electromagnetically read checks brought to the bank, and efforts to improve check processing efficiency in the future by connecting bank branches and different banks on-line are underway.
As part of these efforts electromagnetically reading checks at the teller window is already being tried, and small check processing devices that can be installed at the teller window have been proposed.
This check processing device has a check transportation mechanism, and a magnetic ink character reader (MICR), scanner, and printer disposed along the check transportation path. When the bank teller receiving a check from a customer passes the check through this check processing device, the check processing device reads the check using the MICR and scanner, and then endorses the check using the printer.
Efforts to use the scanner to capture and digitize data from a drivers license, ID card, or other identification presented to verify the check bearer, and to use this data for on-line processing in order to prevent the improper use of checks, have also started.
See, for example, Japanese Examined Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2000-344428.
This processing device typically has a transportation path with a U-shaped configuration. This is so that the inserted check makes a U-turn through the transportation path of the processing device and is ejected near the insertion entrance. This mechanism enables the bank teller to easily insert the check into the processing device and to then to remove the check while remaining seated.
Data on the check is also read by the MICR, scanner, or other detection device disposed along the U-shaped part of the transportation path, and the check endorsement is then printed.
The drivers license, ID card, or other identification presented for verification cannot be easily bent and therefore cannot be passed through the U-shaped part of the transportation path to be scanned. Another image scanner must therefore be provided if an image of the drivers license or ID card is to be captured.
It is, however, difficult to place another new device in the limited space available at a bank teller window. Furthermore, if the scanner is located in a different place, the teller must leave the window in order to scan the identification, and this lowers productivity.
An object of the present invention is therefore to solve the conventional problem described above and provide a compact data reading apparatus that can be easily installed where there is limited space, such as at a bank teller window, and can in a single device execute a process to electronically read data from checks and other media that can be bent, and a process to electronically read data from drivers licenses and other media that cannot be bent.